CN105229605B - Centralized distribution of application analytics - Google Patents

Abstract

A method may include: in a computing device comprising at least one processor and memory, at least one information beacon is generated from each of a plurality of applications installed on the computing device. Each information beacon may include: when a corresponding application is running on the computing device, the application associated with the corresponding application analyzes data. At least one information beacon according to each of the plurality of applications may be stored at a common location in the computing device. The stored at least one information beacon according to each of the plurality of applications may be distributed to a network device communicatively coupled to the computing device. The generating step may be triggered by a beacon generation code implemented in each of the plurality of applications installed on the computing device.

Description

Centralized distribution of application analytics

Background technique

Application analytics data is an important component of computing devices (eg, smartphones, mobile phones, tablets, and/or other mobile devices) for application software developers. However, since computing devices typically have many installed applications, the generation and communication of these analytical data can be challenging. Consequently, large volumes of analytical data are generated at different times, and (due to lack of connectivity) the communication of this data may occur sporadically, which communication may also use a significant portion of the device's battery resources.

Other disadvantages and limitations of conventional and conventional approaches will become apparent to those skilled in the art through comparison with some aspects of the present method and apparatus as set forth in the remainder of this application with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Contents of the invention

A system and/or method for centralized distribution of application analytics is provided substantially as shown and/or described in at least one of the figures, and as more fully set forth in the claims.

According to an embodiment of the application, a method includes, in a computing device comprising a memory and at least one processor, generating at least one information beacon from each of a plurality of applications installed on the computing device, wherein , each information beacon comprising application analytics data associated with the corresponding application when running on the computing device; storing at least one information beacon at a common location in the computing device; and distributing the stored at least one information beacon from each of the plurality of applications to a network communicatively coupled to the computing device device.

According to other embodiments of the present application, a method includes, in a network device communicatively coupled to a computing device including a plurality of installed applications, receiving from the computing device a generated a plurality of information beacons, wherein communication of the plurality of information beacons is triggered by the network device based on a predetermined schedule; and based on the received plurality of information beacons, generating a communication with the user of the computing device at least one application analysis report associated with usage of the at least a portion of the plurality of installed applications.

These and other advantages, aspects and features of the present application, as well as details of the illustrated implementations, will be more fully understood from the following description and accompanying drawings.

Description of drawings

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of an analysis distribution architecture according to an embodiment of the present application.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating beacon processing functionality of the analytics distribution architecture of FIG. 1 according to an embodiment of the application.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart illustrating exemplary steps of a centralized distribution method for application analysis according to an embodiment of the present application.

FIG. 4 shows a flowchart of example steps of another method for centralized distribution of application analysis according to an embodiment of the present application.

Detailed ways

As used herein, the terms "circuitry" and "electronic circuitry" refer to physical electronic components (i.e., hardware) as well as configurable hardware, and any software and/or firmware ("code") executed by or otherwise associated with the hardware . The meaning of "and/or" used herein is any one or more items in the sequence connected by "and/or". An example is that "x and/or y" means any element in the ternary set {(x), (y), (x, y)}. As another example, "x, y, and/or z" means that the seven-element set {(x), (y), (z), (x, y), (x, z), (y, z ), any element in (x, y, z)}. As used herein, "such as" introduces a list of one or more non-limiting examples, instances, or illustrations. As used herein, "processor" may be used to refer to one or more central processing units, processors of symmetric or asymmetric multiprocessor systems, digital signal processors, microcontrollers, graphics/video processors, or other types of processor.

As used herein, an "information beacon" or "beacon" may refer to a data block or structure that may be generated at various points when an application is executing (or running) on a device to provide information related to the application. Related analytics (eg, beacons may indicate user interaction with the application user interface (UI), including UI components such as on-screen buttons, labels, text boxes, etc., as well as user interaction with physical keys). In other words, a beacon may indicate that a portion of an application was used/used, and/or may indicate user interaction with the application (e.g., pressing a button, selecting a tab or menu, etc.), and/or when the application is running Results achieved (eg, game level completion), and/or experiment information, and/or timing information related to the application. In addition, the beacon also indicates the type of device (or other identifying information of the device running the application) and identifying information about the operating system running on the device. In this regard, information signals can be used in various types of applications, such as e-commerce, timing applications, social applications, and others.

The present application relates to a method and system for centralized distribution of application program analysis. In various implementations, an application developer can implement within the application (eg, by using a software development kit) code for generating analytics information beacons. Such information beacons can be generated at various points in the application to provide application-related analytics (here, see above in the definition of terms). The beacon generating code can be used in a number of applications installed on the computing device.

After generating one or more beacons from any application that is running the beacon generating code, the generated beacons can be stored in a common location (eg, a common database) within the computing device. The stored beacons can be distributed, for example, to an analysis server for further processing and generation of application analysis reports based on the beacons. In this regard, instead of having each application independently manage its own communication of beacons (which can occur sporadically due to network connectivity issues while the computing device is moving and can also quickly drain the device battery ), combining all beacons from all applications in one location (eg, a database within a computing device). All beacons can then be communicated to the analytics server in one transmission, which will help preserve device battery life.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of an analysis distribution architecture according to an embodiment of the present application. Referring to FIG. 1 , an example architecture 10 may include a computing device 100 and an analysis server 130 .

Computing device 100 may include a cell phone, smartphone, tablet, laptop, and/or other handheld or portable device. Computing device 100 may include, for example, main processor 102 , system memory 104 , beacon database 105 , communication subsystem 106 , perception subsystem 108 , input/output (I/O) subsystem 110 , and display 120 . The computing device may also include an operating system 112 , and one or more application programs 116 , . . . , 118 running on the computing device 100 . Operating system 112 may include beacon service 114 . Applications 116, ..., 118 may include SDK modules 116a, ..., 118a and beacons 116b, ..., 118b, respectively.

The analysis server may include a main processor 132, a system memory 134, a communication subsystem 136, and an application analysis processor 138 (the application analysis processor 138 is further described below with reference to FIG. 2).

Main processor 102 may include suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces, and/or code that can be used to: process data, and/or control and/or manage the operation of computing device 100, and/or communicate with computing device 100 Tasks and/or applications that execute in computing device 100 in association with the beacon communication functionality are generated. In this regard, main processor 102 may be used to configure and/or control the operation of various components and/or subsystems of computing device 100 by utilizing, for example, one or more control signals. The main processor 102 is capable of causing applications, programs and/or codes stored, for example, in the system memory 104 (eg, the beacon service 114 and/or any SDKs 116a, . . . , 118a) to run and/or execute. Additionally, one or more dedicated application processors may be utilized to run and/or execute applications (or programs) on computing device 100 (eg, beacon service 114 and/or any SDKs 116a, . . . , 118a).

In some cases, one or more applications 116 , . In addition, during the execution of one or more application programs 116, ..., 118, as long as the beacon generation code of the SDK is called (executed) during the execution of the corresponding application program, the corresponding SDK 116a, ..., 118a can Causes generation of information beacons 116b, . . . , 118b, respectively. Each information beacon 116b, . . . , 118b may include analytical information related to the application corresponding to the beacon (e.g., the beacon may include one or more of the following: data identifying the application accessed on the computing device ; data identifying the date and time the application was accessed on the computing device; for each application running on the computing device, data identifying at least one application segment accessed while the application was running; identifying the computing device and Data about the characteristics of one or both of the operating systems used by the computing device; data identifying one or more buttons pressed by the user while running an application on the computing device.

System memory 104 may include suitable logic, circuits, interfaces and/or code that allow for permanent or non-permanent storage, buffering and/or retrieval of data, code and/or other information that may be used, consumed and/or processed . In this regard, system memory 104 may include, for example, various memory devices including read-only memory (ROM), random-access memory (RAM), flash memory, solid-state drives (SSD), and/or field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs). storage technology. System memory 104 may store configuration data, which may include, for example, parameters and/or code, including software and/or firmware (e.g., operating system 112, update launcher 122, and/or one or more application programs 116, . . . , 118) .

The communication subsystem 106 may include suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces, and/or code that may be used to communicate with the computing device to send and receive data, such as through one or more wired and/or wireless connections 107 . Communication subsystem 106 may be configured to support one or more wired protocols (e.g., Ethernet standard, MOCA, etc.) and/or wireless protocols or interfaces (e.g., CDMA, WCDMA, TDMA, GSM, GPRS, UMTS, EDGE, EGPRS , OFDM, TDSCDMA, HSDPA, LTE, WiMAX, WiFi, Bluetooth, and/or any other available wireless protocol/interface) to facilitate sending and/or receiving signals to and/or from computing device 100, and/or as applicable Wired or wireless protocols to process transmitted or received signals. In this regard, signal processing operations may include filtering, amplification, analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog conversion, up/down conversion of baseband signals, encoding/decoding, encryption/decryption, and/or modulation/demodulation. According to an embodiment of the present application, communication subsystem 106 may provide a wired or wireless connection to, for example, analysis server 130 via wired or wireless connection 107 .

Perception subsystem 108 may include suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces, and/or code for obtaining and/or generating perception information that may be related to computing device 100, a user of computing device 100, and/or the environment of computing device 100 related. For example, perception subsystem 108 may include position or positioning sensors (e.g., GPS or other GNSS-based sensors), environmental condition (e.g., temperature, humidity, or light) sensors, and/or motion-related sensors (e.g., accelerometers, gyro meter, pedometer and/or altimeter).

I/O subsystem 110 may include suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces, and/or code for enabling a user to interact with computing device 100 , obtaining input from the user, and/or providing output to the user. I/O subsystem 110 may support various types of input and/or output including, for example, video, audio, and/or text. In this regard, dedicated I/O devices and/or components external to or integrated within computing device 100 may be utilized to input and/or output data during operation of I/O subsystem 110 . Example I/O devices include displays, mice, keyboards, touch screens, voice input interfaces, and other input/output interfaces or devices. For video output, I/O subsystem 110 may be used to generate and/or process video content, graphics and/or text data, and/or generate video frames for display based on the above, eg, via display 120 .

Display 120 may include suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces, and/or code that enable display of video content that may be manipulated and/or processed by I/O subsystem 110 . The display 120 may be used to output video data.

Operating system 112 may include software for managing various hardware resources of computing device 100 . Operating system 112 may also be used to provide common services for computer programs or applications such as one or more application programs 116 , . . . , 118 . The operating system 112 may operate as an intermediary between the hardware components and one or more application programs 116 , . . . , 118 . In some implementations, the operating system 112 can provide a beacon service 114 .

Beacon service 114 may include code and may be used to provide services related to the generation and management of beacons 116b, . . . , 118b. For example, beacon service 114 may implement a beacon distribution policy (eg, 204 in FIG. 2 ). A beacon collection policy (eg, 202 of FIG. 2 ) may cause the collection of beacons 116b, . . . , 118b at predetermined intervals or schedules. Collected beacons may be stored, for example, in beacon database 105 (beacon database 105 may be a separate module within device 100, or may be implemented as part of system memory 104). Beacon collection may be initiated by processor 102 and/or by a corresponding beacon generation application and/or by analysis server 130 .

A beacon distribution policy (eg, 204 of FIG. 2 ) may cause distribution of collected beacons 116b, . . . , 118b from beacon database 105 to analysis server 130 at predetermined intervals or schedules. In addition, the beacon distribution policy can be used not only to control the timing of distribution, but also to control the amount (capacity) of each distribution, distribution compression/encryption, and the like. For example, a beacon distribution policy may set distribution frequency, how many beacons are in each distribution, whether the distribution should be compressed and/or encrypted, and the like.

The beacon distribution module 204 may include suitable circuitry, logic, and/or code, and the beacon distribution module 204 may be configured to enable distribution of collected data from the beacon database 105 to the analysis server 130 at predetermined intervals or schedules. One or more rules (eg, policies) for beacons 116b, . . . , 118b. Furthermore, the beacon distribution policy (of the beacon distribution module 204 ) can be used to control not only the timing of distributions, but also the amount (capacity) of each distribution, distribution compression/encryption, and the like. For example, a beacon distribution policy may set distribution frequency, how many beacons are in each distribution, whether the distribution should be compressed and/or encrypted, and so on.

Although the beacon service 114 is described as a part of the operating system 112 , the present application is not limited thereto, and the beacon service 114 can also be implemented by, for example, an independent service application program installed on the device 100 .

The one or more applications 116, . . . , 118 may include one or more software applications (eg, computer programs) capable of assisting a user of the computing device 100 in performing specific tasks. For example, a software application may include an interactive application that displays content to a user and allows the user to provide input regarding the manner in which the content is provided and/or the type of content provided. One or more applications 116 , . An application developer of an application 116, ..., 118 may use the beacon generation SDK 116a, ..., 118a at one or more points within the corresponding application so that the beacon 116b, 116b, ..., the generation of 118b.

Analysis server 130 may include suitable circuitry, logic, and/or code, and may be operable to receive one or more information beacons from computing device 100 . CPU 132, memory 134, and communications subsystem 136 may perform functions similar to those performed by CPU 102, memory 104, and communications subsystem 106, respectively. Application analysis processor 138 may include suitable circuitry, logic, and/or code, and may be used to generate one or more analysis reports. Additionally, application analysis processor 138 may be used to implement one or more policies related to beacon distribution functions performed by computing device 100 .

In operation, one or more SDKs 116a, ..., 118a may trigger the generation of beacons 116b, ..., 118b, respectively. The beacon service 114 may cause the generated beacons 116b, . . . 118b to be stored from the applications 116, . Beacon service 114 may also cause stored beacons to be communicated from beacon database 105 to analysis server 130 for further processing.

Using the communication subsystem 106 and the wired/wireless connection 107, the communication of the stored information beacons may be performed periodically (on a predetermined interval or schedule). Additionally, communication of stored information beacons may be performed when other network traffic occurs between computing device 100 and analysis server 130 . In this regard, communication of the beacon may utilize an "already in use" network connection, thus reducing battery usage by not initiating a network connection solely for the purpose of communicating the beacon. Furthermore, communication of stored information beacons may only be performed if a specific network interface (eg, Wi-Fi) exists. For example, beacons could only communicate when a Wi-Fi connection is available, which would avoid using a cellular data connection to send data (which tends to be more expensive). In this regard, cellular data usage may be reduced, potentially reducing user costs in terms of data metering plans.

Upon receipt of an information beacon by the analysis server 130, the application analysis processor may generate one or more application analysis reports based on the received beacon.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating beacon processing functionality of the analytics distribution architecture of FIG. 1 according to an embodiment of the present application. Referring to FIG. 2 , the application analysis processor 138 may include a beacon collection module 202 and an analysis report generation module 206 . The computing device 100 may include a beacon distribution module 204, where the beacon distribution module 204 may be implemented as part of the operating system 112 or as a stand-alone application.

Beacon collection module 202 may include suitable circuitry, logic, and/or code, and may be used to implement one or more rules (e.g., policies) for beacons 116b, . . . , 118b collection (e.g., a policy may 116b, . . . , 118b are collected at predetermined intervals or schedules). The collected information is stored, for example, in beacon server 105 (beacon server 105 may be a separate module in device 100, or may be implemented as part of system memory 104).

Analysis report generation module 206 may include suitable circuitry, logic, and/or code, and may be used to generate one or more analysis reports based on beacons received from computing device 100 .

Although the beacon collection module 202 is illustrated as part of the application analysis processor 138, the application is not so limited. According to an embodiment of the present application, the beacon collection module 202 may also be implemented within the computing device 100 (eg, as part of the operating system 112, or as an independent application running on the device 100). In this regard, beacon collection and/or beacon distribution may be initiated and/or controlled by analytics server 130 or computing device 100 .

Fig. 3 is a flow chart showing exemplary steps of a centralized distribution method for application analysis according to an embodiment of the present application. Referring to Figures 1-3, in a computing device (100) comprising at least one processor (102) and memory (104; 105), a plurality of application programs (116, . . . , 118) each generate at least one information beacon (116b, . . . , 118b), the example method 300 may begin at 302. Each information beacon (116b, ..., 118b) may include application analytics data associated with the corresponding application when the corresponding application is run on the computing device. At 304, at least one beacon of information from each of the plurality of applications can be stored in a common location (eg, beacon database 105) in the computing device (100). At 306, the stored at least one information beacon (116b, ..., 118b) can be distributed to a network device (eg, analysis server 130) communicatively coupled to the computing device.

Generation of beacons 116b, . The application data analysis of the beacons 116b, ..., 118b may include one or more of: data identifying the application accessed on the computing device; data identifying the date and time the application was accessed on the computing device; For each application running on a computing device, data identifying at least one application segment accessed while the application is running; data identifying characteristics of either or both of the computing device and the operating system used by the computing device ; data identifying one or more buttons pressed by a user while the application is running on the computing device; data identifying one or more user interactions with the application running on the computing device; Data of (application) results achieved in the case of running the application (here, refer to the definition of "beacon" above for additional explanation regarding the data provided by the beacon).

At least one information beacon 116b, ..., 118b according to each of the plurality of applications 116, ..., 118 may be stored in a common database (eg, beacon database 105) in the computing device 100. Each of the plurality of applications 116, ..., 118 is able to access the common database (105). At least one of the stored applications from the plurality of applications may be performed based on a predetermined schedule maintained by either or both of the computing device 100 and/or the network device (e.g., analysis server 130). Distribution of Information Beacons.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating exemplary steps of another method for centralized distribution of application analysis according to an embodiment of the present application. Referring to FIGS. 1 , 2 and 4 , example method 400 may begin at 402 where beacon collection instructions (eg, from beacon collection module 202 ) may be communicated from analysis server 130 to computing device 100 . Computing device 100 may include a number of installed applications (116, . . . , 118). The beacon collection instructions may cause the collection of a plurality of information beacons (e.g., 116b, . . . , 118b) from at least a portion of the plurality of installed applications (116, . Information beacons are stored in a database (eg, beacon database 105 ) within computing device 100 .

At 402 , a plurality of information beacons ( 116 b , . . . , 118 b ) generated from at least a portion of a plurality of installed applications ( 116 , . A network device (eg, 130 ) may trigger communication of multiple information beacons based on a predetermined schedule (eg, a schedule or policy set by beacon distribution module 204 ). At 406, at least one application analysis report can be generated (eg, by analysis report generation module 206). Based on the received plurality of information beacons, an application analysis report may be associated with usage of at least a portion of a plurality of installed applications by a user of the computing device.

Other implementations may provide a non-transitory computer-readable medium and/or storage medium, and/or a non-transitory machine-readable medium and/or storage medium, storing thereon at least one Code segments of machine code and/or computer programs that cause machines and/or computers to perform the steps of the centralized distribution of application analysis described herein.

Therefore, the method and/or system can be realized by using hardware, software or a combination of software and hardware. The method and/or system can be implemented in a centralized fashion in at least one computer system, or in a distributed fashion with different elements spread over multiple interconnected computer systems. Any computer system or other system adapted for carrying out the methods described herein is suitable. A typical combination of hardware and software can be such that a general-purpose computer system with a computer program, when the computer program is loaded and executed, controls the computer system to perform the methods described herein.

The method and/or system can also be embedded in a computer program product, including all the features capable of realizing the implementation of the methods described herein, and can execute these methods when loaded into a computer system. A computer program in this context means any expression, in any language, code, or symbol, of a set of instructions intended to give a system the information processing capability to perform a specific function either directly or after either or both of: a) conversion to another languages, codes or symbols; b) reproduced in different material forms.

Although the methods and/or apparatus have been described with reference to certain implementations, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be employed without departing from the scope of the methods and/or apparatus. substitute. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material without departing from the teachings of the application. Accordingly, the methods and/or apparatus are not intended to be limited to the particular implementations disclosed, but the methods and/or apparatus include all implementations falling within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims (14)

1. a kind of method, including：

In the mobile computing device including memory and at least one processor,

First information beacon is generated by the first application program, the first information beacon provides description and filled when in the mobile computing Set using for first application program on mobile computing device when running first application program Application program analyzes data；

Concomitantly and the second application program by concomitantly being run with first application program with the first information beacon The second information beacons are generated, the second information beacons offer description ought run described first on the mobile computing device and answer Data are analyzed with the application program of second application program run on the mobile computing device when program used；

It is stored in the shared position in the mobile computing device according to by the first information beacon and second information beacons The beacon collection strategy set collects the first information beacon and second information beacons；And

The first information stored is believed in single transmission according to the beacon distribution policy maintained by the mobile computing device Mark and the second information beacons are distributed to the network equipment communicated to connect with the mobile computing device.

2. according to the method described in claim 1, wherein, described making for first application program or second application program The application program analysis data include following one or more：

The instruction of the application program accessed on the mobile computing device；

The instruction of the date and time of access application on the mobile computing device；

The characteristic of one of operating system or the two used in the mobile computing device and the mobile computing device Instruction；

When being currently running first application program or second application program on the mobile computing device user institute by The instruction of one or more buttons of pressure；And

It is carried out with first application program or second application program being currently running on the mobile computing device One or more users interaction instruction.

3. according to the method described in claim 1, wherein, passing through first application installed on the mobile computing device The beacon realized in each application program in program and second application program generates code, triggers the generation.

4. according to the method described in claim 1, including：

The first information beacon and second information beacons are stored in the shared database in the mobile computing device In, each application program in plurality of application program is able to access that the shared database.

5. according to the method described in claim 1, wherein, according to the beacon collection strategy, based on being filled by the mobile computing Set and/or predetermined time table that the network equipment is maintained, to the first information beacon that is stored and the second information beacons into Row distribution.

6. a kind of method, including：

It is communicated in the mobile computing device for the application program installed with the application program installed including at least first and second In the network equipment of connection,

The first information beacon generated from the first application program for being installed is received from the mobile computing device, and receive from The second application program installed that the application program installed with first is concurrently run with the first information beacon concomitantly The second information beacons generated, wherein the first information beacon includes the number used for describing the application program that first is installed According to wherein second information beacons include the data used for describing the application program that second is installed, wherein by described Network equipment to distribute the beacon distribution policy of information beacons based on predetermined time table according to so that trigger the first information letter The communication of mark and second information beacons, the beacon distribution policy are maintained by the mobile computing device；And

Based on received first information beacon and the second information beacons, generate and the user couple of the mobile computing device the One application program installed and the second associated application program analysis report of use of application program for being installed.

7. according to the method described in claim 6, including：

By beacon collection command communication to the mobile computing device, make wherein the beacon collection instructs：

Collect the first information beacon and second information beacons；And

Collected first information beacon and the second information beacons are stored in the database in the mobile computing device.

8. according to the method described in claim 7, wherein, the scheduled beacon collection time maintained based on the network equipment Table carries out the communication of the beacon collection instruction.

9. according to the method described in claim 6, including：

Beacon is distributed into command communication to the mobile computing device, wherein beacon distribution instruction is so that in single transmission The first information beacon and second information beacons are communicated to the network equipment from the mobile computing device.

10. according to the method described in claim 9, wherein, when the scheduled beacon distribution maintained based on the network equipment Between table, carry out the communication of beacon distribution instruction.

11. according to the method described in claim 1, wherein, first application program or second application program are described The application program used analyzes data：For each application program run on the mobile computing device, in institute State the first application program or the data of at least one application program segment that when second application program is currently running is accessed.

12. according to the method described in claim 1, wherein, the first information beacon and second information beacons are simultaneously It collects.

13. according to the method described in claim 1, wherein, the beacon distribution policy determines the number of beacon in distribution.

14. according to the method described in claim 6, wherein, the beacon distribution policy determines the number of beacon in distribution.